Association of Irish Musical Societies
Adjudication Scheme – Sullivan Section
Public Review
For: 9 Arches Musical Society, Claregalway
Production of: Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
Date Attended: Thursday 16th November 2017
With Jay Molyneux taking on his first ever show as Director and Choreographer, Joseph proved to be the perfect vehicle to display his considerable talent. This was a real feel-good production with a cast of thousands… well, dozens anyway. Everyone on the stage seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, from the moment the show started to the end of the longest finale I have ever watched. It’s a short enough show, so nobody minded a mash-up of all the songs, energetically danced while the company took their well-deserved bows. Jay certainly injected variety into his choreography, obviously enjoying the various styles that the musically score offers. An uncredited solo female dancer performed a very memorable tango with the brothers during “Those Caanan Days”, and the dancers generally showed style and stamina throughout a show that rarely stopped moving. The Hoedown routine in the middle of “One More Angel in Heaven” was particularly impressive, and when the action moved to Egypt, there were quirky routines, performed with gestures and body shapes synonymous with the region. If anything, I’d have been inclined to cut back a tad on the busyness of some routines, such as Pharaoh’s Song, where Pharaoh himself lost an amount of the lime-light amid the constant changing patterns of so many dance groups.
From a direction point of view, there were moments of awkwardness for some of the principals getting about the stage, due to the number of bodies to be negotiated, a moveable set of steps centre stage from the high level would have worked very well, as the side steps were constantly busy. The show ran at a very good pace and my only question mark was over the direction of the Narrator. While the rest of the show had very much an exaggerated comic book feel to it, one might have expected a funky, zany, hip narrator, rather than the gentle story-time teacher type that was adopted for this role.
The narrator is a demanding role, (often split and shared between a few performers) so fair play to Anne O’Donnell, who rarely left the stage, for her energy and commitment. She wasn’t assisted by the strength of the orchestra early on, but she persisted and when the balance was right, she displayed a most pleasing and musical voice.
Despite reservations about his first costume, Conor Walsh gave a confident and endearing performance in the role of Joseph. He played the arrogant brother with great believability, and displayed a very good sense of comedy as his character grew in stature. His singing throughout was very good indeed. He also related well to the chorus of children.
Michael Cooney made a good job of both Jacob and Potiphar, suitably miserable and heart-broken in the former, and flash and arrogant in the latter, although a bigger contrast between the two would have been aided by a better costume for Jacob. Michael generally sings well, but he does, still, have a tendency to mutter the final word or two of his sentences. David Alexander was a strong and convincing Reuben, really making the most of his opportunities to make an impact. “One More Angel in Heaven” was strongly led, and he established himself as the senior of the brothers. Anthony Hughes gave a most affecting vibrato to “Those Canaan Days” in the role of Simeon, adding significantly to the French feel of the number. This was another highly notable performance. Likewise, there was a well-realised caricature from Mervyn Fahy in the role of Judah, demonstrating both good musicality and a fine sense of comedy in delivering the “Benjamin Calypso”. Dave Langan threw himself into the role of Pharaoh with a relaxed and confident nonchalance, and despite not putting a foot, or a note, wrong, his very amusing Elvis impression was almost swallowed up by an over-active stage. Katie Bebbington was an effective, lust-filled, Mrs. Potiphar, and there were good cameo performances from Alana Power as the Butler and Roisin Fowley as the Baker. The Brothers, as a collective, performed confidently together, and many displayed good individual characteristics. Michael Healy was a cute and quirky Benjamin during the Calypso.
The various chorus groups did all that was asked of them with bucket loads of enthusiasm. The children’s chorus made a very worthy contribution to the show.
With the orchestra under the stage, Musical Director, Shane Farrell had no problems at all in keeping stage and pit well co-ordinated, but the need for orchestra amplification led to sections of the accompaniment being somewhat over-powering, particularly over solo voices. The music was very well played, and by and large, well-sung. Both the male chorus and the children’s chorus tended to be delivered more with enthusiasm than control, but they were impressive. The full company numbers were very nicely sung.
The set was a good abstract backdrop, a raised back level with steps down either side, and a few free standing pieces. It was simple and quite effective, leaving the main stage free for the large routines, and the moving pieces caused no problems for Stage Manager, Chontelle Kenny and her team. Occasionally, when principals made entrances on the upper level, their flourish would have been stronger had there been a centre stage set of steps, rather than having to weave through the bodies on the side steps. Lighting throughout the show was good, and the operator displayed great industry in quickly highlighting principals who strayed outside designated specials. When a better balance between stage and orchestra was established, the sound quality was good, and cueing throughout was on point.
The costumes generally made a very strong impact, being trendy variations on the traditional styles, with Chorus and Dancer costumes being excellent throughout, vivid, colourful and nicely selected. There were, though, a few individual outfits that jarred in comparison to those around them. The narrator’s opening costume was a bit bland and motherly, I didn’t like Joseph’s shorts and t-shirt, (not at all flattering), and I felt that Jacob was just a touch too casually dressed. Make up, hair and an abundance of wigs, were generally very good, and all-in-all the visual presentation of the show was most pleasing.
This was a well selected show from 9 Arches, and they are to be applauded for having the courage and vision to give Jay his first outing as a director. He certainly didn’t let them down. Thank you to the cast, crew and committee for a delightfully enjoyable presentation of Joseph.
Adjudication Scheme – Sullivan Section
Public Review
For: 9 Arches Musical Society, Claregalway
Production of: Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
Date Attended: Thursday 16th November 2017
With Jay Molyneux taking on his first ever show as Director and Choreographer, Joseph proved to be the perfect vehicle to display his considerable talent. This was a real feel-good production with a cast of thousands… well, dozens anyway. Everyone on the stage seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, from the moment the show started to the end of the longest finale I have ever watched. It’s a short enough show, so nobody minded a mash-up of all the songs, energetically danced while the company took their well-deserved bows. Jay certainly injected variety into his choreography, obviously enjoying the various styles that the musically score offers. An uncredited solo female dancer performed a very memorable tango with the brothers during “Those Caanan Days”, and the dancers generally showed style and stamina throughout a show that rarely stopped moving. The Hoedown routine in the middle of “One More Angel in Heaven” was particularly impressive, and when the action moved to Egypt, there were quirky routines, performed with gestures and body shapes synonymous with the region. If anything, I’d have been inclined to cut back a tad on the busyness of some routines, such as Pharaoh’s Song, where Pharaoh himself lost an amount of the lime-light amid the constant changing patterns of so many dance groups.
From a direction point of view, there were moments of awkwardness for some of the principals getting about the stage, due to the number of bodies to be negotiated, a moveable set of steps centre stage from the high level would have worked very well, as the side steps were constantly busy. The show ran at a very good pace and my only question mark was over the direction of the Narrator. While the rest of the show had very much an exaggerated comic book feel to it, one might have expected a funky, zany, hip narrator, rather than the gentle story-time teacher type that was adopted for this role.
The narrator is a demanding role, (often split and shared between a few performers) so fair play to Anne O’Donnell, who rarely left the stage, for her energy and commitment. She wasn’t assisted by the strength of the orchestra early on, but she persisted and when the balance was right, she displayed a most pleasing and musical voice.
Despite reservations about his first costume, Conor Walsh gave a confident and endearing performance in the role of Joseph. He played the arrogant brother with great believability, and displayed a very good sense of comedy as his character grew in stature. His singing throughout was very good indeed. He also related well to the chorus of children.
Michael Cooney made a good job of both Jacob and Potiphar, suitably miserable and heart-broken in the former, and flash and arrogant in the latter, although a bigger contrast between the two would have been aided by a better costume for Jacob. Michael generally sings well, but he does, still, have a tendency to mutter the final word or two of his sentences. David Alexander was a strong and convincing Reuben, really making the most of his opportunities to make an impact. “One More Angel in Heaven” was strongly led, and he established himself as the senior of the brothers. Anthony Hughes gave a most affecting vibrato to “Those Canaan Days” in the role of Simeon, adding significantly to the French feel of the number. This was another highly notable performance. Likewise, there was a well-realised caricature from Mervyn Fahy in the role of Judah, demonstrating both good musicality and a fine sense of comedy in delivering the “Benjamin Calypso”. Dave Langan threw himself into the role of Pharaoh with a relaxed and confident nonchalance, and despite not putting a foot, or a note, wrong, his very amusing Elvis impression was almost swallowed up by an over-active stage. Katie Bebbington was an effective, lust-filled, Mrs. Potiphar, and there were good cameo performances from Alana Power as the Butler and Roisin Fowley as the Baker. The Brothers, as a collective, performed confidently together, and many displayed good individual characteristics. Michael Healy was a cute and quirky Benjamin during the Calypso.
The various chorus groups did all that was asked of them with bucket loads of enthusiasm. The children’s chorus made a very worthy contribution to the show.
With the orchestra under the stage, Musical Director, Shane Farrell had no problems at all in keeping stage and pit well co-ordinated, but the need for orchestra amplification led to sections of the accompaniment being somewhat over-powering, particularly over solo voices. The music was very well played, and by and large, well-sung. Both the male chorus and the children’s chorus tended to be delivered more with enthusiasm than control, but they were impressive. The full company numbers were very nicely sung.
The set was a good abstract backdrop, a raised back level with steps down either side, and a few free standing pieces. It was simple and quite effective, leaving the main stage free for the large routines, and the moving pieces caused no problems for Stage Manager, Chontelle Kenny and her team. Occasionally, when principals made entrances on the upper level, their flourish would have been stronger had there been a centre stage set of steps, rather than having to weave through the bodies on the side steps. Lighting throughout the show was good, and the operator displayed great industry in quickly highlighting principals who strayed outside designated specials. When a better balance between stage and orchestra was established, the sound quality was good, and cueing throughout was on point.
The costumes generally made a very strong impact, being trendy variations on the traditional styles, with Chorus and Dancer costumes being excellent throughout, vivid, colourful and nicely selected. There were, though, a few individual outfits that jarred in comparison to those around them. The narrator’s opening costume was a bit bland and motherly, I didn’t like Joseph’s shorts and t-shirt, (not at all flattering), and I felt that Jacob was just a touch too casually dressed. Make up, hair and an abundance of wigs, were generally very good, and all-in-all the visual presentation of the show was most pleasing.
This was a well selected show from 9 Arches, and they are to be applauded for having the courage and vision to give Jay his first outing as a director. He certainly didn’t let them down. Thank you to the cast, crew and committee for a delightfully enjoyable presentation of Joseph.